[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

So, I'm curious... (in regards to the game only :P )

 

Has TFP received a SteamDeck to play with?

In regards to that will 7 days be supported on a SteamDeck? (Linux is already supported which *in theory* should make it easy; while the SteamDeck is not as powerful as a modern desktop it does seem decent and the 720p resolution should make it not need outrageous horsepower)

 

Will Vulkan graphics ever be fully supported? It has been an option in the launcher, but labeled as not fully supported. I have had good success testing using it on an older machine with AMD graphics, but nVidia drivers do seem to have a few random lockups with it. Vulkan does seem to add as much as a 50% increase in FPS over OpenGL.

Or is Vulkan support based on the support that it receives from Unity?

 

I'v noticed a few "quirks" in a20... Should I file bug reports? Sometimes I wonder if a change was made and they might be working as intended. (e.g. I know that all workbenches being found destroyed is now intentional.)

One quirk is that when resetting a poi (but starting a quest at that poi,) that vending machines, cabinets, and appliances never change. In past Alphas when reseting a poi, working vending machines would sometimes be replaced with broken ones and vice-versa. I have not seen that happen yet in a20 and not sure if that is intentional. In the same reset, It seems that open cabinets and open stoves always reset to staying open; again in prior alphas some would change.

 

Should the same poi ever spawn in a single city? iirc this was something to report in a19... I found 2 or 3 of the same poi in my starting city. (Though I have to confirm it is an actual poi instead of part of a tile. It is the motorhome with a police cruiser and a shed in front of it. (I remember seeing this poi back in a19 when the police cruiser still had a distinctive paint job; it still says police cruiser when looting but lacks the distinctive appearance now)

 

I could also mention random slowdowns in fps/performance, but I have a guess more than one person has mentioned this already.

 

Hope this is the right place to ask these questions...

Thanks

[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

9 hours ago, Khalagar said:

Guess we'll find out tomorrow when our good friend @Capp00 can do the egregious task of pressing the open perk screen button and clicking on intellect for us and reading what the robotic perk line tooltip says >_>

@Capp00, Maybe you can look at the farming and Living off the Land perk changes as well while your at it. (You do seem to enjoy explaining things in your videos.)

 

Also, *when* are you streaming this weekend? you are on the confirmed list but no times are listed.

[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

2 hours ago, faatal said:

No, but you can hope for it.

 

Big problems are like the game crashing. These 3 arlenes over here looking the same is not.

Well, iirc, when you were live streaming with prime a few weeks ago your game crashed quite often with a BSOD.

 

IMHO, the best cure for that is not a game fix but an OS fix. Fortunately 7dtd does support linux. (and I am very happy about that.) I have not seen a bsod on my computer for over 13 years now. 

 

Just saying. (and no, I really do not want to start an os flame war in thread; I am a wiseass while I only use linux that is my choice, you are free to use what you are comfortable with.)

[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

Quote

Fixed: Chickens and rabbits not colliding with vehicles

Please make sure not to reintroduce this bug when adding Zombie Squirrels. 

 

And do they die outright? I can understand not wanting to allow Zs being killed by the vehicles which would take the fun out of the game and take the threat out of horde nights...  But (with the exception of the bicycle,) any vehicle collision with a small animal usually does not end well for the critter.

[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

Quote

Traders now dance

Has trader Jen been updated with jiggle physics?  (just asking... for a friend of course.)

[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

2 hours ago, BFT2020 said:

We need T Shirts now

 

"I survived the 2021 Streamer Weekend Controversy!"

 

😁

You are making the assumption that it will get out this weekend or the next 3 weekends after that. In any case I would make it...

 

"I survived the A20 Streamer Weekend Controversy!"

 

And while we are at it, we might as well add the following for veterans:

"I survived the A19 Streamer Weekend Controversy!"

"I survived the A18 Streamer Weekend Controversy!"

"I survived the A17 Streamer Weekend Controversy!"

 

Its not like previous releases were much different. Everyone is excited to get it.

[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

On 11/29/2021 at 5:18 PM, andydahl said:

Facepunch studios. Rust is updated each and every month. It also started in EA in 2013 and was "gold" Feb 2018. 

 

I love 7 Days to Die -- it's my favorite game, by far. I've been playing since Sept 9, 2013. But TFPs are at the other end of the spectrum from Facepunch. Can't you at least admit that professionals are able to meet timelines? It's juvenile to hide behind "We can't miss a deadline if we don't make one." All you're really saying is, "We have no idea how long stuff will take because we're not professional enough to know" or something like that. 

 

I love 7 Days to Die in spite of the dev team. I'll keep playing and be excited for each new release. But I don't have to keep defending them for their poor work output. 

 

One question for all you: How'd you like to get monthly updates -- both small and large -- on 7 Days? Don't tell me it's not possible as that's exactly what Facepunch delivers on Rust. Hell, I'd settle for twice a year updates, but if history is any guide, I'm sure TFPs would have trouble hitting those deadlines.

 

 

I, personally, am a developer. (Admittedly, not in the gaming industry.) But I have seen companies do this, heck even Microsoft (who I am not a fan of) tries to do this with "Patch Tuesday." The developers that do scheduled releases are not any better at time management then other developers without a strict release schedule.

 

Even with a scheduled update...  A few days before the release, the developers and management gather and discuss the upcoming (scheduled) release. They discuss the stability of each and every part of the release. If a single part is not ready for release, they pull that piece and delay it until the next release. (where it may or may not be delayed again.) Usually at least one thing is ready for release they package it together and ship it off for a regular release. So every month usually has a release.

 

Users are happy because they get something every month... "Wow, I guess they are still working on it." However, if they are waiting for a particular piece to be released, they can still get frustrated... "XYZ still wasn't released this month; when will they get off their butts and finally put it out there, I have been waiting forever."

 

Another bad thing about scheduled releases is dependencies... If the new electrical system is not ready, it means anything that requires it has to be delayed too. (i.e. if the power changes aren't working, you can't release the new lights, the new electrical doors, or anything else.)

 

So scheduled releases are not any better than unscheduled; users can still be frustrated by both. One *might* be better than the other depending on the situation, but honestly it comes down to whatever the team is most comfortable with.

 

That being said, I am quite happy with TFP devs and how they manage releases. Yes, as a user, even I want it released yesterday, But I will patiently wait until it is ready and be happier with prioritizing quality over speed. (THANK YOU DEVS!!!)

[Alpha 20 Dev Diary]

3 hours ago, Capp00 said:

I know Mr "The Pimp", Rick, likes to keep us in suspense and anxious, but I hope I didn't fully jump the gun in my excitement for the news of it coming out this weekend. lol.

If it does end up getting postponed, I'll own up to my gaff.

The response of a mature, responsible streamer...

 

The problem occurs when the immature ones look for someone else to blame and suggest a deadline was blown.

 

Sadly, there does seem to be a lot more immature streamers than mature ones.